Coca-Cola-great drinks AND less emissions?

• Mar. 16 by Katie Graczyk (3)

Recently Coca Cola has announced what it contributes to the world in terms of its carbon footprint from products.  Pairing with Coca- Cola/Coca- Cola Enterprises Great Britain is The Carbon Trust to investigate the carbon footprint further.

” The company says the research is part of an ongoing programme to reduce the impact of its products and operations on the environment.”

Together they studied-

• greenhouse gas emissions throughout life cycle of drinks
• investigated ingredients used to make the drink
• manufacturing and packaging of the drink
• impact of distribution and retailing
• impact of getting rid of empty can or bottle

What they found-

1. “330ml can of Coca-Cola sold in Great Britain has a carbon footprint of 170 grams”
2. “‘diet Coke’ or ‘Coke Zero’ has a footprint of 150 grams”
3. “330ml glass bottle of ‘Coca-Cola’ has a footprint of 360 grams”

“Packaging accounts for the largest portion of the drink’s carbon footprint, between 30 – 70%, depending on the type of container used. However, the research found that using recycled materials and later recycling containers can decrease the overall carbon footprint of a product by up to 60%.”

What does it mean for Great Britain?  The Coca-Cola aluminum cans here are about 50% recycled materials.   The glass bottles are about 40% recycled glass.

“Partnership with WRAP, the Coca-Cola System is currently rolling out a nationwide series of branded Recycle Zones to encourage consumers to recycle when out and about. Six Recycle Zones have already been successfully launched including at Thorpe Park, Festival Place in Basingstoke and the University of Warwick.”

The company plans to improve/reduce how they impact the environment with their products in Great Britain.

“Work to improve the efficiency of refrigeration equipment and to improve the efficiency of transport and delivery operations.”

Martin Hickman also commented on the carbon footprint of Coca-Cola in Independent Minds/ Live journal.   There is always more that could be done and this probably isn’t the last we’ll hear from Coke about their efforts.